Somewhere with this note I’ll reveal that I’m actually a moron, but I need some help to understand how I got there. The release per Paladin’s heads up was to be at 2pm on Paladin’s ebonite page (linked in an earlier tweet). At 2pm CST the ebonite page was all quiet and remained so for at least 10 minutes. I saw no notice, link, photo or any indication that there was anything but the customary ‘unavailable’ notation appearing beneath each photo of the brushes in their lineup. I looked around the site for some kind of signal but no luck. It was pretty frustrating. So here’s the question. What did you see or do that I missed? I was at the station and missed the train. Thanks and appreciation for any help anyone can offer in straightening me out and getting me pointed right.

This wasn’t an ebonite release - it was a regular release. Many of the brushes are still available, including some awesome chiefs. (There may have been some confusion between the feb 9th ebonite tweet and the tweet on the 22nd)

Yup, that would do it. I was looking at the copies of tweets he puts on his home page assuming it was complete, so it showed the ebonite page link and note of an upcoming rerease, then the next one above it as to the date for ‘standard’ release, yesterday. I failed to see that standard meant anything other than customary. When you make this kind .of error people can think you are stupid and slow witted. I like to explain what happened to show that I am stupid and fast witted. I appreciate your looking at this and taking a moment that points out that maybe I’m not fast witted either. Sincerely, thanks for the explanation and taking the time.

(02-23-2019, 08:37 PM)mojodomo Wrote: At 2pm CST the ebonite page was all quiet and remained so for at least 10 minutes. I saw no notice, link, photo or any indication that there was anything but the customary ‘unavailable’ notation appearing beneath each photo of the brushes in their lineup.

We very much appreciate your interest, and I'm sorry about the frustration. We hope you won't give up.

Here's some perspective.

So far, we've only done two Ebonite releases, the first on January 19 and the second on February 9. The January 19 introduction was a very long time coming (since September 2014). Both of those releases sold out briskly, but I wouldn't expect that limited experience to establish custom. We'll see. Our plan is to offer about 16 Ebonite-handled brushes per month.

As for the regular lineup, there are currently 47 different variants (style/size/material combinations) available for purchase. If you select the In Stock filter in the Brushes Collection, you won't see any labeled as Unavailable, accept possibly ones that have sold out within a few minutes or less (it takes Shopify a short time to catch up with itself).

The number of variants labeled as Unavailable (with the In Stock filter deselected) at any given time reflects 1) the variety we've produced and 2) our limited production capacity. Since launching our website on March 22, 2016, we've offered 520 different variants, not including Ebonite.

We started 2018 with close to the same number of brushes in the shop as were on the shelf at year-end. Overall, we sold 998 Paladin shaving brushes (by far our best year), which approximately equals the number we made. That was with three of us working full time. (I put in a lot of 60-80 hour weeks last year. At 65, I'm not interested in working any harder.) That translates to a daily average of about 2.7 brushes. So, all in (i.e. sourcing, making, communicating, maintaining, etc.), we put a little more than a day of work into every brush we made and sold in 2018.

Approximate capacity (i.e., 1,000 brushes) divided by current number of variants (i.e., about 570 including Ebonite) equals less than two of each variant on average over the course of a year. And we intend to continue introducing new variants.

(02-24-2019, 03:05 AM)mojodomo Wrote: I was looking at the copies of tweets he puts on his home page assuming it was complete, so it showed the ebonite page link and note of an upcoming release, then the next one above it as to the date for ‘standard’ release, yesterday.

FWIW, we don't manually place copies of tweets on our homepage. Whatever is done (and I'm not sure exactly what that is) is done automatically by a Shopify widget-type app. We'll keep an eye on that next time, and I'll be sure to include the date in the tweet. I put notices up in a rush this time.

Thanks for this utterly thorough note. The error is entirely mine. I sped right by the word ‘standard’ and had no idea Shopify places copies of tweets, automatically and perhaps randomly I’d imagine. Fighting the tide I have avoided the social internet for a long time. I am however just now a Twitter enlistee to tag up with your notifications. I love many of your brushes and am drawn to the ebonite. As I mentioned in a note to you, I just bought a brush from you for my son who is coming of age. It is a looker and as difficult as it is for kids to keep track of things I think this is one thing that won’t get lost. I am now apprised and prepared for your next ebonite release and I intend to be there. I’m very appreciative, in fact a little overwhelmed, of the attention given me to make things clear. Thanks to all. Rick.

(02-24-2019, 07:33 AM)mojodomo Wrote: Thanks for this utterly thorough note. The error is entirely mine. I sped right by the word ‘standard’ and had no idea Shopify places copies of tweets, automatically and perhaps randomly I’d imagine. Fighting the tide I have avoided the social internet for a long time. I am however just now a Twitter enlistee to tag up with your notifications. I love many of your brushes and am drawn to the ebonite. As I mentioned in a note to you, I just bought a brush from you for my son who is coming of age. It is a looker and as difficult as it is for kids to keep track of things I think this is one thing that won’t get lost. I am now apprised and prepared for your next ebonite release and I intend to be there. I’m very appreciative, in fact a little overwhelmed, of the attention given me to make things clear. Thanks to all. Rick.

1) It's good for us to have opportunities like this to provide perspective and clarification for the benefit of all who might be interested.

2) It's very helpful to have the kind of customer-side perspective your posts provided.

And the fact is I was a little slack with the notices this go-round. I flew to Portland two Wednesdays back and spent the following day through this past Wednesday helping to move Cody and his wife Courtney's household stuff to Colorado (Steamboat vicinity, where Courtney just started a new job at the Home Ranch) and Cody's part of the shop back to Kansas, where he'll stay with us until he has shop space lined out near Steamboat. Cody and I rolled in late Wednesday. Thursday, Friday, and yesterday were largely spent unloading and then setting up the laser and Cody's polishing station. Yesterday's release was very tightly shoe-horned in. That work falls almost entirely on Cody's and Pam's shoulders. I just post the notices.